Bookstore tips for first year students that I just remembered.

1) For those taking math (differential calculus):

Yes, you will need that calculator that they ask you to buy.  They will only allow that one at quizzes/tests/midterms/exams.

Well…  you might not need it at first.  However, my experience was like this…

September – “Waaat $10?? Pft, I’ll live with my own calculator… oh wait what I can’t? Whatever we’llll see.”

Mid September – “Hey… this isn’t so bad, I don’t even need a calculator”

First Midterm –  “Hey prof, do you think we’ll need a calculator for the midterm?” “No it should be ok” “Do you think we’ll need a calculator for this class at all?” “You don’t need to have one but…” “Ok.”

After first midterm – “Holy crap that was hard, but a calculator wouldn’t have saved me”

Late October – “WTF HOW DO I DO LOG WITHOUT A CALCULATOR!?!?”

1 week before 2nd midterm at the UBC Bookstore – “=( the rebate on the calculators are gone!!”

2 days before midterm at Staples’ cash register (where it was cheaper) – *defeated*

2) Waits at the Bookstore for the first few weeks of the semester during the day are about an hour, that doesn’t include you wandering around the bookstore looking for the books and getting distracted by UBC swag and Mac books.  So if you and your friends have breaks that are too short, you can always camp in the line for each other haha.

3) Discount Books in the Village is your FRIEND.  The lines are faster too.

4) #3 doesn’t apply if you must buy many “Custom” Packages.  But those are cheaper than book so whatever.

5) Those Access Code things (ie. Lyryx) are not cheap to buy online.  So if you want to buy a second hand book (which are usually keyless) to save money, depending on how much you get it for, you might not save money at all.

Look what I found! Hello Math 184.

Honestly though, I actually miss math.  But I can’t say, I will voluntarily take it again.

“So what is the whole point of photography?”

asked Rabi in his December 2nd post.

His post suggested some random projects to do and so I did one.  “take photos of your feet at random places”

Well… rather than random places I just took it when I felt the ground looked… not like the normal ground.

I’ve collected these over the course of the past 7 months.  Kind of sad that all this time it is only 25 pictures isn’t it?  Oh well.

All of the feet pictures were taken with my 3.2 mp camera phone.  Of course the pictures were also all (but 1) severely edited in Photoshop.

I’ve loved photography since my friend showed me the glory that is the Polaroid back in grade 6 at a Superstore.  Since then I’ve owned 3.

Pentax Optio:  My first love.  Lost in a two foot drop whist en route to my friend’s hands.

Point and shoots back then still had manual focus as an option. <3

Kodak V503: My reluctant purchase after the Pentax.  Lost to the sea somewhere in China.

I was never very attached this camera.  However, it wasn’t until after it was gone and when I went browsing for a new one that I understood it’s awesomeness.  Point and shoots these days have so little manual features now that they somewhat disappoint me.  (Where is the custom long exposure settings with flash combo!)

The 3rd one, I can’t find a picture but it looks similar to this:

From my friend on my 17th birthday.  I’ve still yet to develop this time capsule.  Actually, I haven’t finished the roll yet either.

I’ve never owned a DSLR and have maybe held one a maximum of 10 times.  I believe I’m missing out somewhere but I’d miss out if I were short a quite a few couple hundred bucks.  (Like how will I pay for my accounting textbook! Jokes…)

Maybe my mother is right that I never stick with anything which is why I never dove very deeply into photography.  That’s ok, cameras have led me to the wonderful world of photoshop and web design and flash, which led to much nerdier things.  (Of which was my high school hobby and I guess I’ve somewhat “moved on,” or is that only a subtle way of saying I’m less consumed by it.) But you know the beauty of education right?  Transferable skills!!!! Ftw.

New arrivals?

I was on the 99 b-line today for the first time in a long time.  Eastbound.  When I got on the bus, there were these girls talk about phone plans and what kind of plans to get it.  Noticing their accents, subtle mention of AMS, I decided in my head that they were students that just moved into res or something.

Yes I’m judging like that.  But I can’t help it, it’s human tendency to categorize.

[side note] It seems everyone has a Blackberry these days!

There was one point where they seemed kind of lost, and I knew exactly how to get to where they wanted because that was where I was going.  I decided not to say anything.  I always find that adventures are way more fun if you get lost (in non threatening ways) and I didn’t want to “take that away” from them.

I’ve always enjoyed the idea of going to school somewhere else.  It’s like a way to experience a different world without worrying about getting working in a foreign place (because honestly, it seems just getting a job at home can be hard) or wanting to do something more productive than shopping and visiting monuments (not that it can’t be fun.)  Wanting to be in a new world is probably why I am aiming for international business, the only thing I am confident about pursuing at the moment.  But even then it seems to teeter a bit.

So new arrivals, if you’re reading, enjoy, explore.  I’ve lived here all my life and I still don’t think I’ve seen in all… which begs the question why do I still think that Vancouver can be boring to live in despite loving it?  Maybe it is because I am young and sheltered.  Year 2, here I come.  Time to grow up a little.

“The idea is to die young as late as possible.” – Ashley Montagu

Did someone say… FREE?

That’s right.  Free.

Free what?

…Does it matter?

Thought I’d share a listing of the free outdoor movie events that seem to be a sudden craze this summer.  (Why didn’t they have this before!)

Tonight!:
The Wizard of Oz at Holland Park (Surrey)

Aug 8:
Back to the Future at David Lam Park (Yaletown)

Aug 14:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at Holland Park

Aug 19:
KJ: Music and Life at Civic Square (Burnaby Public Library at Metrotown)

Aug 21:
The Last Song at Holland Park

Aug 26:
Up at Civic Square

Aug 28:
How to Train Your Dragon at Holland Park

Another “free” activity I throughly enjoy (as often as yesterday): browsing Chapters.  That place is joy.  I know there’s also that other place called “the library” but the library doesn’t have a Starbucks, so Chapters 1 : Library 0.

Has anyone ever noticed the marine biology section of the library is a block of blue spines?  Now you know.